Average Cost of Daycare

Sending a child to a day care center is one of the biggest decisions for the parents of the child. This article has information about the average cost of daycare in the United States.

The number of hours at work for working people have increased due to the growing competition in the various fields. This applies to working parents also and with the increased work hours, the energy levels of parents get reduced and they also get very less time to take care of their children. This is the reason many parents consider the idea of sending their children to day care centers. The average cost of daycare for infants can vary as per the location and the age of the infant. Given below are some pros and cons of sending your child to a day care center.

Is a Day Care Center a Good Choice for Your Child?

It would be a good idea to send your child to a day care center, which has a good reputation of taking proper care of children. You should find as much information as possible about the day care center before taking any kind of decision. There are many day care centers which ensure overall development of small children by teaching them good values and personal hygiene. The involvement of the people running the day care center is to be noted, as children require a lot of support and attention at this age. Another point to consider is whether your child will be able to adjust himself well to the atmosphere of the day care center. You should send your child to the day care center only if your child is physically fully fit. He should be able to stay for hours without parents. You should also ensure that the timings of the day care center are as per your expectations. If the day care center is too far away, then your child may get restless and this is a thing to seriously think about. If the day care center is one the way, you can quickly pick up and drop your child.

Daycare Average Cost

According to several surveys, the average cost works out to be USD 610 per month. The average daycare cost is much more in large metropolitan cities as compared to the small cities. For example, for a day care center in New York, you may have to shell out more than USD 900 per month. The more the several hours your child spends in the daycare center, more will be the cost of daycare. The average cost could be anything in between USD 4200 to USD 15000 per year in the case of small babies and toddlers. Washington, New Jersey, Oregon, Massachusetts are some of the places where the average cost is much more than USD 650 per month. However, there are many states where daycare is quite affordable for middle-income groups. The daycare prices are comparatively low in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia and Kansas. At these places, you will have to spend around USD 450 per month on the day care centers. The rates charged by the day care centers in the rural areas are much less than those charged by the urban areas. In a rural area, you can find a daycare center for around USD 360 per month. The daycare centers which provide more fun and recreational activities charge more than the normal centers.

Hopefully, this information on the average cost of daycare will prove to be useful for you. While taking the decision of sending your child to a day care center, you should not compromise on the child safety and well-being and happiness of your child.